01 September 2014

A little hello to anyone who may still be popping into Playing in the Attic!

Let's talk storage. We have major storage issues in our house. We have kitchen cupboards and that's it! Over the years we've lived here, we have had to purchase six wardrobes, we've had to convert a CD cabinet into a bathroom cabinet, purchased 4 bookcases and still we have things in boxes ... you getting the idea? A shopping trip to Ikea was needed to deal with a small storage issue in my artsy/craftsy room. Drag home two very heavy Ikea boxes, get in touch with our inner flat-pack-maker and off we go. Now is it just us or do other people make mistakes at Ikea between showroom floor and warehouse aisle? The cupboard was made up, all looking good, getting excited to be able to create a bit of order, open up the second box, the box that has the doors in it, the solid doors so that the innards of the cupboard can't be seen and what do we have ... glass doors!! How did that happen? We photographed the numbers on Girl 1's mobile phone, we went to the right aisle, we saw the cupboard, saw the box for the doors .... whatever! Not entirely happy with the end result.

Fortunately a little piece of happy inspiration occurred, and under the bed I scurried to my rolled up paper supply. Yes folks, that's what's under my bed. And as I've shared this with you, what's under yours?!!! Here you go, you didn't believe me? I have Christmas wrapping paper, posters, gift paper for special use, I have Chinese brush paintings (from a course I did years ago) etc. etc., you get the idea. Excuse the dust!

Found the Ideal Piece of Paper. This is a piece of wrapping paper purchased at one of my favourite shops in Melbourne. Il Papiro sits in the heart of Melbourne's laneways, in Degraves Street. It's a joy simply to walk in the door and take in all the beautiful stationery from Florence. Take a look, isn't it stunning?!!

So, with brush and jar of Mod Podge at hand, off I went slapping glue happily all over the place and now I love my Ikea cupboard. Very individual. Very me. Very much hiding what's inside. And just a little bit Italian.

02 June 2014

Is there such a condition? Instagram-itis. Because if there is, I think I've got it!! I resisted for such a long time. I didn't need another *gadget* to play with, I didn't need another time-stealer.

But that said, I was just a tad envious of the Instagram chatter I was hearing ... after all I love photography and I'm a visual kinda girl. It seems a natural progression for me : cut and paste in scrapbooks, collect beautiful images on Pinterest, share photos and be inspired by others on Instagram.

So now, when I finish a book I photograph it and share it on Instagram!! And this was such a jolly fun read. If you haven't yet read it, do yourself a favour and jump right in. I think there may be a movie on the horizon too.

And there's been a lot of fun things happening here at Playing in the Attic to capture and share on Instagram. Loom Bands for one. Has this craze reached your shores? Apparently it's the biggest craze since Barbie, because even the boys love making them as much as the girls. We have a loom band for every occasion here!!

There has been a huge chunk of time taken up by patting, cuddling, brushing, feeding, walking, playing, photographing and poop-collection of these two adorable girls who are growing before our very eyes. I just don't get other things done, because I look at them and have an overwhelming need to cuddle them!!

There has been a bit of catch up of the crochet-kind as we are now in Winter and there is a promise that this will be finished Very Soon. This Winter in fact. Every night (well, almost) there is another square added to the stack!

And of course there has been work, and a birthday celebration, baking and some fog. I think that pretty much sums up my life at the moment. All photographed. All Instagrammed.

If you would like to follow me on Instagram, I am Playing in the Attic. Perhaps I'll see you there?

19 March 2014

Many moons ago I started this project, the Book of Questions, and thought you might like to take a peek at its progress. I was inspired by the work of Nina Bagley, and had lots of cabinet cards tucked away from years of collecting. It always saddens me to think these beautiful photographs are no longer with their families, but I do adore them and even if I don't know the names and the stories behind them I will recreate something!

The idea was to find a question to fit each photo, and that has definitely been the fun part, because I love words so much! On the backs (where the question goes) I've applied scrapbooking paper, and with my trusty calligraphy pen and my rusty calligraphy skills, I've started writing out the questions.

There was a possible alternative here : Can melancholia be a symptom of tight corsets?! The next cabinet card is from Paisley, Scotland so could very well be an ancestor of mine. He's dashing enough, might claim him anyway!!

A couple more, just in case you're still with me on this!! I've put the question on the photo, but it will be done like the others above, handwritten with pen and ink on the opposite side to the photo.

I have twenty of these gorgeous cabinet cards, so you can imagine how thick The Book of Questions will be by the time it's all done. Binding is going to be a bit tricky, but I have this idea in mind, once I've got over punching the eyelets!

10 March 2014

We have been a family with a big puppy hole in our hearts for a long time and it was agreed that it was time to have another pooch in the house. There were lots of chats about breeds, because we couldn't imagine another white Labrador, we couldn't simply replace our adorable old girl. We talked about German Shepherds. We talked about one Labrador, one German Shepherd and suddenly it was not one dog but two! And then we thought it might be easier to have two Labradors, and maybe we could have a white and a black? And then the litter was born and the girls were all black, so two black girls it is!!

There was many a long list made with names on it. There were polls, there was voting until it was finally decided that the pups would be called Zelda and Iris. We have a quirky little tradition in our home that our pups are given the names of authors. Aggie was Agatha Christie, Banjo was Banjo Patterson and soon we will have Zelda (Fitzgerald) and Iris (Murdoch). And I say soon because we don't have the puppies yet, but the Countdown Has Begun!!We had to make the very big trek across the state of Victoria to go back to where Aggie came from. We know this breeder and love her dogs, and we had some choosing to do. We had a stopover in Lexton, at the Pyrennes Family Hotel.

Lexton is a place with a tiny population now, but where my grandfather's grandfather was born, so we had a bit of a look around the place trying to imagine what it would have been like. I love rustic, falling down places. I love to make up stories and imagine the people who may have lived there. Maybe when my great great grandfather was just a boy he walked by this house? Played with the kids who lived there? Stole apples from their trees?

Anyway, back to the puppies. So there we were, puppies all around us and a choice had to be made!! Can you imagine ... I wanted to bring them all home!! The girls chose one each. They realised this was a very important decision resting on their young shoulders, a decision not to be made lightly; much care had to be taken and many cuddles had to be had. I'm swooning just thinking about those gorgeous little balls of black loveliness. [Please remind me of that feeling when they've destroyed another tree/shrub/rubber hose and when they're chewing on the house/the furniture/my toes].

Without further ado, this is Zelda ...

And this is Iris ...

And they'll be home with us soon ... but not quite soon enough! Aren't they adorable!!Prepare yourself for a slight onslaught of puppy photos over the next few months.Have a happy day.Trudy

23 January 2014

We've been Sydneysiders for a week! It was to be a relaxing break away from the routine, but turned into a mad frenzy of seeing and doing all that Sydney has to offer. We walked the coastal route from Bronte (above) to the world-famous Bondi Beach (below).

We saw a magic show at the Opera House (my youngest is a magician-in-the-making).

There was the *first to spot the Bridge* game whenever we were on a train, bus or ferry.

The Sydney Festival was on so we had the opportunity of going to a couple of shows, we went to the movies, markets and galleries. It was a buzz of excitement and a fabulous way to end the school holidays.

It is always so inspiring to travel, to soak up new surroundings, to go to galleries and marvel at the artworks, to sample different food and then it's fabulous to flop in the pool at the end of each long, tiring but enjoyable day.Now it's all systems *go* to prepare two girls for their school year ahead.Enjoy your day.Trudy

22 January 2014

Is it too late to herald in the new year? I know we're into the third week of the year, but I feel like my feet haven't hit the ground since the clock ticked over into the new year!2013 has been contemplated, mulled over, written about, and packaged up ready for this exciting new year to begin. I do love the very beginning of a new year. So much potential. Potential for doing things differently. To learn from the mistakes of the year that has finished, and to rejoice in the things we may have got right, making sure there is room for more of the same.

I feel like I've jumped in boots and all into this new year. I have so many exciting plans, small, but exciting!! Plans to connect with friends through creative projects, plans for puppies to join our family, plans for de-cluttering on a major scale (inspired by a blogger who gave away one item a day for 365 days!), plans for a visit to a yoga retreat with a buddy, plans to finish lots of projects, plans to renovate a room, plans, plans, plans ...

What about you? Do you have exciting plans for the year ahead? Are you already on your way with them? And I know I'm a bit late with this but I wish you a fabulous 2014!!